The True Man Across the Bull Pen
by Reaper85
Summary: Tony DiNozzo has a secret that he had told no one other than his boss and father figure Gibbs about, but what happens when that secret is revealed to the one person he falls in love with?
1. Chapter 1

**The True Man Across the Bull Pen:**

**Chapter One: **

**Secrets Revealed.**

**A/N: ****OK, so this story was inspired by an idea from Shadowhunter536, who we would like to thank for giving it to us, and welcome any other ideas for Fan fictions or our current Stories.**

**Thank you books-n-cookies for caring about us, Chris/Reaper85 and who is that idiot of a boyfriend of mine, is doing well, he's sour with a broken leg, dislocated shoulder, a couple of broken ribs and a few bruises, oh and whiplash, but he's back home and being stubborn by doing the complete opposite of what the doctors tell him, hence the idiot part, BUT, he has a few things to do to the last chapter of "what if?" and once he is done, will upload it, for now he is support for this story, which will be all me...and some of his ideas lol, so I hope you enjoy this, and please do give us your feedback, reading it is like a addiction free drug lol.**

**We don't own anything, other than the dream to one day, meet and hopeful work with the cast of this amazing show, and to talk them into bringing Sasha Back...part time at least so we can have TATE vs Tiva and watch as TATE kicks Ziva's arse! lol**

Tony DiNozzo sat silently at his desk, his mind shut down as he stared numbly into space, he was unaware of the world around him the past two days had been hard, really hard, for two reasons, the first was he had gone undercover on a job, which should of been a simple babysitting of a suspected smuggler by the name of Jeffrey White, but that soon went to hell, first it started when the GPS in his shoe was broken, due to a fall into a very shallow and cold river, then when he crashed the Car that had been set up for him because of poor sissy Jeffrey's fear of hitting a biker in front of them, then he had to steal the bikers bike while making him search for a shiatsu that he called Kate, simply because it was the first name that came to mind, he of course thought that if Kate were to be a dog, she'd be the most beautiful dog he'd ever seen, but he'd never let her know that, then he met Jeffrey's partner in crime...or he was meant to be, Lane, Tony had thought at that point the mission was over, he could get home to the one person he loved unconditionally, but of course, no back up means no home, so he had to sleep with one eye open in a cabin while Jeffrey and what seemed like a loose cannon of a partner, Lane, slept only a few feet away.

The next morning he had managed to get a cell and dial Gibbs number a few times, each time hanging up before the silver haired Man could answer, and only hope he clicked on, if he had known Kate's number off by heart...which he did, but again didn't want to tell her that or even freak her out with it, he would of dialled hers, but he and Gibbs were like...well, like a father and son, they'd never openly admit it, but in all honesty, Tony looked up to that man as a father, he relied on him to keep him steady, teach him the skills he needed to be everything he needed to be, and Gibbs did that, without question and without hesitation, so he hoped that his boss, friend and father figure would know what was going on with the phone calls.

Then when he and Jeffrey finally arrived to meet the buyers he discovered that Jeffrey, a man he had come to like, and watch out for like an older brother was actually a murdering psycho, who, when Tony reviled that he was NCIS, was about to slit his throat just as he had done his partners the previous night, which meant...Tony...had to shoot him, he had too much to live for, he had responsibilities and people relying on him, he couldn't die, so as hard as it was for him to do it, Tony shot Jeffrey White, killing him instantly and covering Tony in his blood.

After returning to the office and being debriefed by the Director and Gibbs, he had written up his report and finished the paper work, and then, then he started to feel numb and stare off into space, his mind replaying the scenario from that afternoon over and over in his mind's eye, each time there was a different outcome, but none of them the perfect one, either he died...or Tony died, in one they both died.

In his state of numb mindlessness he was unaware of his partners concerned glances at him, he was unaware of the other agents passing his desk, muttering and staring at him as they went, Kate's heart splintered for her partner, she had no idea how it felt to have to shoot a friend, she wanted nothing more than to move over to him and hold him in her arms, tell him that everything would be alright, that she would be there for him, that she cared about him more than she lets on, that she, the mighty strong Catlin Todd, had fallen completely and utterly in love with him, the most annoying man on the planet, but she couldn't, she couldn't because, A: Gibbs was sat at his desk watching Tony like a concerned parent for his child, also McGee was sat at his desk watching Kate and Gibbs watch Tony in silence and B: Rule twelve prevented her dating him, but she was seriously considering ignoring that rule...it was, after all, a stupid rule...there was no real policy preventing her from walking over to him, tilting his head back and laying claim to his lips with hers, hell she could take his head, lead him to the break room and jump his bones there and then if she wanted...but...she did like working for Gibbs, even though sometimes she wished she didn't, she really did.

Gibbs checked his watch and sighed inwardly, this undercover op was harder on Tony than he had wanted, he pushed himself away from his desk, he stood silently and walked, with coffee in hand over to the eerily silent member of his team.

"Hey" he whispered softly while gently knocking a fist on his desk.

Tony blinked as his mind started to process the relevant things again, his eyes drifted across on the older man stood before him, they settled on the coffee cup in the man's left hand, then lifted again to meet the cool icy blue ones that looked down at him with concern.

"don't you have somewhere to be?" he asked gently, but with a small commanding edge of not only a team leader, but a father too.

Tony blinked again, did he have somewhere to be? He couldn't have it was only just gone two right? His eyes drifted down to the watch that lay wrapped around the arm that supported his head only moments ago, three thirty damn! He did have somewhere to be, someone to see, to hold and kiss, someone to tell that he loved her with all his heart, soul and being.

He pushed himself away from his desk and even though his mind was racing, his body drifted, he scooped up his coat and pack before walking numbly towards the elevators.

"do you want a ride?" Kate asked softly as she watched him glide silently by her desk.

"Nar I'm good" Tony muttered weakly.

"Damn it DiNozzo, you're in no state to drive yourself home, let me give you a ride" She stated a little annoyed at how stubborn he was being but also very, very concerned.

She turned in her chair, scooped up her bag, coat and scarf and stood ready to follow him.

"He's not going Home Kate" Gibbs stated commandingly as he turned and took a step towards the profiler.

"Then where's he going?" she asked confused as she looked deep into the icy blue eyes of her boss.

"To meet someone very special to him" the ex marine stated turning his attention to the empty shell of a man that was now stepping into the silent silver box.

Kate turned and watched as the silver metallic doors of the elevator slid shut, stealing the man she loved from her sight, she could feel her heart falling, he was with someone, he had someone..."Special" in his life, he didn't need her, she waited for the smash, waited to hear, feel her heart shatter as it came to stop against the cold dark bit of her stomach, but it was worse than that, rather than her heart break and that be that, she felt it crack, twist and splinter, it was so much more painful like this, she could feel hot tears stab at the back of her eyes and knew she had to make an excuse to leave her desk, leave the prying eyes of the junior agent and her boss.

Her legs guided her to the massive windows, she rested her palms against the cool glass as she watched Tony leave the entrance of the building and make his way across the partly snow covered parking lot, vivid images of him making love to another woman flooded her mind, his body moving in time with hers, both sweaty breathless as they lay together and bask in the fulfilling feeling that came after, a tear escaped as she watched him slid into his car and pull out, her forehead fell softly against the glass as he drove out of sight, taking her dreams of her and Tony...Them, with him.

"I need to use the head" she whispered before turning and marching as fast as she could towards the ladies room, where she could cry feely, without the males prying eyes to watch and judge her.

......................................................................................................................................................................................................

Tony pulled up outside a small school, he turned the engine off and looked at his reflection in the rear view mirror, he sighed and inwardly growled at the man looking back, it wasn't the man he wanted her to see, he didn't want her to come out, run into his arms and then see how sad he looked, how numb and upset he felt, he tried to smile but it only looked forced, not like how a real smile should, he sighed again and allowed his forehead to fall forwards onto the top of the cool steering wheel, he closed his eyes and took several deep steady breaths.

At the sound of the bell he lifted his head and turned to watch the doors to the small building dedicated to educating the young fly open, he watched children from the ages of five to twelve poor out happily, they ran with their bags towards their waiting parents or guardians, he clicked off his seat belt and slid out of the warmth of the car into the late winter cold.

Christmas had come and gone as had new years, they were in the middle of January, yet the snow and cold of the month before remained with them, Tony moved across the partially snow covered sidewalk towards the gate, he hissed as he placed a bare hand against the painfully cold metal and gently pushed it open, he moved further into the playground and saw her, a tall blond in a dark blue skirt with knee high brown leather boots and a white button blouse, she was stood in the centre of the busy, cheerful playground, at the sight of her Tony found himself able to smile, he walked towards her, navigating carefully through the hordes of small children as they ran around playing.

"Hi Tony" the blond smiled as she spotted him.

Tony watched as the crowd of children around the woman seemed to part like the red sea, his smile grew as he watched a beautiful five year old run towards him, her long hazel hair blowing behind her as she ran at him, her emerald eyes locked on him as her arms spread wide her favourite teddy held securely in her right hand, Tony dropped down onto his right knee and threw open his arms as the little girl ran into him, he lifted her up and hugged her to him as she hugged him tightly.

"I've missed you so much" Tony breathed with a smile as he closed his eyes and inhaled her scent.

"I missed you too daddy" the girl whispered as she hung on to him happily "did you get the bad man?" she asked as she pulled back slightly.

Tonys smiled faltered slightly as the memories of the day's events flooded back; he let out a long breath and gave a soft nod.

"Yeah, we got him sweetie" he smiled softly as he gently pushed a lose strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Can we go home now?" the little angel asked sweetly as she looked her father in the eye "Mrs Reed's house smells funny" she added as she scrunched up her nose in a innocent disgust.

"You know what Izzy, Home sounds like a great idea" Tony smiled before gently placing a kiss to his daughter's forehead.

Tony carried his little girl back towards her teacher, he smiled gratefully as she handed him her bag and then filled him in on how she had been that day, his heart broke when he heard how she had been crying because he hadn't called to wish her a good night the night before, honestly, it was because of that he hadn't managed to get much sleep that night, he wanted to hear his daughter's voice, make sure she was alright, and she knew he was alright and that he missed her, but he couldn't risk messing up the op or even endangering her.

He thanked the teacher and carried his daughter back to his car, he unlocked the doors and slid her in to the passenger seat before jogging round and sliding in next to her, after making sure she was strapped in, he started the engine and drove home listing to her as she told him about everything she had learned that day in school, Tony was happy to listen to his daughter, the fact that she not only enjoyed school, but was also enjoying learning made him proud of her, hell he was always proud of her, she was his little piece of heaven on earth, she was his whole world and honestly, she was the only part of him he truly liked.

Within ten minutes they had parked up outside Tonys apartment complex, he undid his seatbelt, collected Isabel's bag from the back seat and was now opening the passenger door for the love of his life, he was fully aware that Isabel could walk, run, jog and sprint on her own, but right now, especially after the two days he had, he needed her close, he needed to feel that at least one person of his planet, loved him, and Isabel only being five, seemed to sense this and was all too happy to allow her dad to lift her up where she eagerly wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into the crook of his neck.

Tony carried his daughter, her bag and his back pack up the steps and into the large spacious lobby, he greeted the man behind the desk with a small but firm nod and smile before vanishing into the waiting elevator, they rode up to their floor in silence, Izzy snuggling deeper into the warmth her father provided while he closed his eyes and gently rested his head on his daughters, with the soft chime of the elevator indicating they had reached their floor they both opened their eyes, Tony shifted his daughter in his arms slightly so he could reach his keys before stepping out of the small golden cube and into a long bright cream hallway, he walked silently down to their apartment, slid his key in and turned, there was a soft click and he pushed the door open.

Their apartment wasn't small, three bedrooms, en suit to the master bedroom, study, living area and a large kitchen/dinner, the decorating had been done by Tony when he and Isabel's mother moved in, photos of them, were scattered throughout the entire apartment, along with photos of his family at NCIS and of course, photos of him and Izzy.

He placed his dozing daughter down onto the sofa and gently slid her coat off her shoulder, careful not to disturb her until he absolutely had to, he gently lay her down and removed her shoes before pulling the blanket from the back of the large three seated leather sofa and placing it over her, he softly placed a gentle loving, proud kiss to her forehead and stood up, he walked silently into the kitchen where he started to prepare dinner, he smiled while her stirred the source for the pasta as he watched his little girl sleep peacefully, she reminded him so much of her mother, it was times like these he felt guilty, he loved Izzy's mother, he missed her daily and wished she was here to share all the firsts he experienced, things like Isabel's first crawl, first words, her first steps and day at school, his smile faded as the pain and guilt washed over him, here he was a single parent, that felt guilt for not only being the parent alive and sharing his life with his daughter, but also a parent that was in love with another woman, a woman that wasn't his daughters mother, a woman that offered to help every day with anything he needed, a woman that placed her life in his hands and trusted him fully, he was in love with Kate, and because of that, he felt guilty, and it was because of that guilt, he'd never make a move on her.

Tony was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't heard his cell ring, or his daughter get up and walk into the kitchen to join him.

"Daddy?" Isabel asked tiredly as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes with her left hand, her right hand clutching her teddy tightly.

Her voice made him jump; he stirred the source quickly before turning to face his daughter.

"Hey sweetie, you have a nice nap?" he asked softly as he lifted her so she could sit on the counter.

"Daddy, your phone was ringing" she stated with a yawn.

Tony dove his left hand into his pocket and pulled out his cell, he flipped it open and saw he had a missed call from Kate, he sighed and dropped the device on the counter beside his daughter.

"Sorry sweetie" he smiled softly before placing another kiss on her forehead.

"who was it?" Izzy asked sweetly as she watched her dad return to the source.

"It was daddy's partner" he replied as he turned the heat down, allowing the liquid to simmer.

"Kate?" Isabel asked with a smile.

"Yes beautiful, Kate" Tony confirmed with a slightly embarrassed smile.

"Do you like Kate daddy?" Izzy asked her dad as she started to gently play with her teddy.

"Of course I do sweetie, she's my friend" Tony smiled as he watched his daughter play with the bear her mother had brought while still pregnant with her.

"Do you want Kate to be your girlfriend?"

The question came out of the blue, Tony had no idea that his little girl knew such things as boyfriends and girlfriends, it knocked him completely of guard, he could feel panic start to take over, his heart began to beat faster and he knew he was going to blush.

He thought about his answer for a few seconds, he felt he was betraying Isabel's mother by having these feelings towards Kate, and so, he'd have to answer her truthfully.

"Yes...and No" he whispered softly as he looked down at the small gold ring that lay on the chain around his neck "see, you are the love of my life Isabel DiNozzo, and because of that, I will always, Always, love your mommy-" he started to explain softly, but the young girl had a counter argument to make, and she wasn't going to wait for her dad to finish his excuse as to why he couldn't be happy.

"But mommy's in heaven" she stated softly and a little sadly.

Tony sighed, Izzy never knew her mom, she had died giving birth to her, but Tony hadn't told her that, nor was he going to, he didn't want his little girl growing up thinking she was to blame for her moms death, he sure as hell didn't blame her.

"Yes, she is sweetie and she's watching over us all the time" Tony smiled sadly at her.

"But mommy wants you to be happy" Izzy stated nervously.

"And I am happy sweetie, you make me happy, you are all I need to be happy" he smiled softly at her.

Isabel went to reply to that but feel silent when they heard a knock at their door, Tony sighed and hugged her to him.

"I love you Isabel DiNozzo, Don't you ever forget that" he stated softly after placing a soft kiss to her forehead.

"I love you too daddy" the little angel stated softly as she hugged her farther.

Tony slid his arms around her and lifted her off the counter; he gently placed her back on her feet and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"Why don't you go choose a movie for us to watch while we eat" he smiled down at the beautiful little girl before him.

"Any movie I want?" Izzy asked excitedly, holding the teddy close to her heart.

"Any movie" Tony smiled softly as he watched her hug his legs, then the teddy bear before running back out and into the living area.

Tony smiled as he headed back down the lamp lit hall towards the door while his daughter made her way across the large spacious living room towards the three wall high DVD book cases.

Tony reached the door, and turned to the small pin table beside it, he slid open the draw and pulled his SIG out, clicking the safety off and cocking it, he lowered it to behind his leg as he moved to unlock the door.

"Who is it?" he asked through the smooth cool wooden obstacle.

"It's The Easter Bunny DiNozzo, who'd you think?" Came Kate's voice, he could hear a slight smile in her tone, but also a hint of annoyance, he returned the armed weapon to its place in the draw, making sure to click on the safety first, then turned back to the door and opened it.

"Kate, what err...what are you doing here?" he asked surprised, horrified and completely off guard, no one at NCIS other than Gibbs knew about his daughter, it wasn't because he was embarrassed of her, because he wasn't, he was so damn proud of her he'd happily show her off to the world, it was just...they were all so used to seeing the stupid, funny, sexist DiNozzo that the true man would send them running.

"I called you earlier, but you didn't answer," she stated annoyed "I was...worried" she finished softly, slightly embarrassed, she could feel the start of a blush creep up her cheeks.

"You...were...worried...about me?" Tony asked softly, with a small, true, happy smile.

Could there be a future for him and Kate? No, of course not, he couldn't....he had to think about Isabel, he had to think about...he felt guilty, felt like he was betraying the woman that he not loved...but had also given him the best thing that had every happened to him, his daughter.

"Your my partner DiNozzo, of course I worry about you" Kate said, hoping that would be enough to make him think that she only saw him in that light, even though...she really didn't, god she wanted to come home to him every day, make love to him each night...just to be held in his arms would be heaven.

"Well, I'm fine, so you can go now" Tony stated quickly as he shuffled forwards, making Kate retreat slightly.

"Tony," she gasped shocked, even a little hurt, oh of course...SHE, was there with him, Kate could feel her heart starting to splinter again "Who is she DiNozzo?" she snapped suddenly, putting out both hands in front of her to stop his advancing.

"What? Who's who?" Tony asked confused, his heart was racing, he had a feeling that Kate would react badly if she found out about Izzy, a secret this big between partners, partners that trusted each other with everything including their lives...on a daily basis, yeah, she'd explode...even possibly kill him, then Izzy would have to live with her godfather...oh god, poor Izzy, living with Gibbs, she'd be scared for life.

Kate opened her mouth ready to snap at him some more, I mean really? How dare he, try and shove her out of his apartment, when she drove all the way there to make sure he was alright, just so he could get back to some cheep bimbo that really didn't deserve him, when she heard and saw the sweetest little girl run up behind him.

"I found one Daddy!" she called waving the DVD above her head, her teddy still safely in her other hand.

Tony closed his eyes and mentally sighed before turning and scooping up the little girl into his arms.

"That's great sweetie, which one are we watching?" he asked with a prod smile.

"Little mermaid" Izzy stated turning the movie so her father could read the title "Daddy, is that Kate?" she asked noticing the shocked looking woman before her and her father.

"Yep" Tony breathed "Kate, this little beauty is the love of my life and whole world, my daughter, Isabel DiNozzo" he introduced his proud, if not a little nervous smile growing as he rested his eyes on his smiling daughter "Izzy, this is daddy's partner and friend, Kate" he stated kissing his daughter softly on her temple.

He turned back to Kate and saw the fear, betrayal, shock and disbelief in her eyes as she stood open mouthed staring at them.

"Err, Kate?" he asked softly fearing the response.

**A/N: ****So how will Kate react? Will she simply make a half conscious excuse to leave and then run from Tony, or will she stay, get to know the daughter of the man she loves and try and see if they can work something out? Will Tony overcome his guilt and take a risk on him and Kate? Or will the guilt for his ex and Isabel's mother be too much for him?**

**Let us know you thoughts and stay tuned for more...soon...I Hope : )**


	2. What the Heart Wants

**The True Man Across the Bull Pen:**

**Chapter Two:**

**What the Heart Wants and What the Heart Feels.**

**A/N: ****OMG, thank you so much for the comments and the response to the first chapter, honestly I'm so touched that you guys like it, Thank you to all that have left me a comment, it's really nice to hear from you.**

**So here is the second chapter, honestly I was going to have this story as a two shot, the first chapter and the this, but my beloved boyfriend talked me into making it into a muliti-chapter story, so there is a horrible twist near the end of this story, one that I had to get Chris to do as I couldn't bring myself to do it, however, I do get the joy of fixing it in later chapters :)**

**So please do read, and let me know what you think, I love hearing from you, Thanks again to everyone that has read and reviewed so far.**

**Own nothing, Still, but one day...one day I promise, We will see Kate again, lol.**

"Kate?" Tony repeated nervously.

He slowly lowered Isabel back to the floor, his eyes never leaving Kate's.

"You, have a daughter" she stated in a shocked whisper as she watched the little girl

"Sweetie, why don't you go put the DVD on, ok" Tony smiled softly at his little angel.

"OK daddy" Izzy smiled before skipping back down the lamp lit hallway towards the large space at the end of it.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Kate asked angrily as her eyes snapped back away from Izzy and onto the little girl's father.

"you never asked" Tony shrugged nervously with a small chuckle and smile.

Was he really trying to make a joke of this? This was serious, this was as serious as it got, he had this little girl, this sweet, beautiful little girl and didn't tell her, she shared everything with him, she shared her dreams of having a family one day, her love life, granted only in the hope to make him jealous and act on the sexual tension that she knew they both knew was between them, everything, she shared everything and here he was keeping something so amazingly big, something so special to himself, she knew that he didn't have to tell her anything about his personal life, but she liked to think that they had a trusting friendship, if not a partnership.

"I tell you everything, and you keep this form me?" she asked in a hurt whisper.

Tony sighed and hung his head in shame, he took a step forward and gently guided his partner, friend, inside his apartment, he gently pushed his door shut and turned back to her.

"I'm sorry" he whispered softly.

Kate exhaled slowly, now he was making her feel guilty, hell, she was feeling guilty, she knew she shouldn't push, she knew she had no right to insist on knowing about his personal life, but she wanted to be a part of it, so wanted to be a part so desperately she was willing to throw all of Gibb's stupid rules out of the window, just so she could be happy, so she could share her life with him, the man she loved despite the sexist jokes and inappropriate innuendos.

"I just...I thought we trusted each other, with everything" she whispered as she slid her hands into the front pockets of her jeans.

"I do, Kate...I trust you completely" Tony sighed taking a step towards her.

"Then why keep something so...amazing from me?" she asked softly looking up from the floor and into his deep dark green eyes.

"Honestly, would you have treated me any differently?" Tony replied looking deep into her eyes.

"Of course I wouldn't" she sighed insulted at her partner's question.

Tony smiled and shook his head slightly as a small chuckle escaped his lips.

"Kate," he smiled his normal DiNozzo fake smile, the one he often wore when things weren't going his way, or if he was caught off guard.

"Alright, I might have treated you differently, but that would only be because I saw you in a different light" she defended quickly, removing her hands from her pockets and taking a step towards the man before her "would that be such a bad thing?" she asked looking at him again.

Tony exhaled and dropped his head again, his mouth opened as he inhaled deeply before going to reply, but before a word could leave his mouth he saw his daughter walk slowly up the hall towards them again.

"Daddy?" she asked nervously as she came to a stop behind Kate, her attention on the Teddy in her hands.

"Yeah sweetie?" he asked softly with a small reassuring, loving smile.

"Can Kate stay for dinner?" she asked softly, looking up at her dad.

"I don't want to interrupt" Kate stated softly with a small shake of her head.

"You're not" Tony stated quickly, softly "it wouldn't be any trouble, please" he added extending a hand towards the living room.

Kate smiled at him, then down at Isabel.

"I'd love to" she smiled with a quick soft nod.

"YAY!" Izzy squealed happily as she rushed forwards and hugged Kate's legs "Come on Kate, I wanna show you my Pictures" the little girl smiled as she took Kate's hand in hers and pulled her gently down the hall.

Tony smiled at the sight of Kate and Izzy, he knew that he didn't fit both roles of parenthood, he was after all only a male, he didn't know the first thing about Bra shopping or make up application, Izzy needed a mother figure, he knew this, and for a split second he allowed himself to entertain the thought of Kate as that person, him and Kate...together, happy...with Isabel...a family, no sooner had he thought of the idea he had banished it, each time he thought of himself in a relationship with Kate, the guilt came flooding back, he knew he had to talk to someone about it, and knew the person he wanted to talk to, but then that wouldn't really work for him as the person he wanted to turn to, was the person that had a rule about Dating co-workers.

Tony sighed and ran a tired hand through his hair before walking back to the kitchen; he stood stirring the source while he listened to shrieks of laughter from both Isabel and Kate, he smiled as he checked on the pasta, it was nice to hear his little girl laugh, it was defiantly the best sound in the world, he remembered the first time she giggled at him when she was a baby, his nearly stopped it was so adorable, He moved across to get more salt when he was snapped from his fond memory by Kate's voice coming from behind him.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked softly, watching as her question made Tony jump out of his skin.

She covered her mouth with both hands to try and stifle the giggle that vibrated through her body.

"Err, no, thanks" Tony replied glaring at her with a small smile.

Kate gave a slight nod and lowered her hands as she stopped giggling, sliding her hands into the back pockets of her jeans she moved further into the spacious kitchen.

"Dose, anyone else know about Isabel?" she asked gently, unsure whether this was a sensitive topic for him.

"Just Gibbs" he replied turning back to the food.

"Gibbs knew?" she asked pulling a stool out from the breakfast bar and sitting down.

"Yeah...well, I hope so, He is her godfather" Tony stated, turning and throwing her a small proud smile over his shoulder.

"What about I sables...mom?" she asked softly playing with her hands as she sat watching him, reading his body language and expressions.

She saw him tens and drop his head, she heard him inhale a long deep breath and knew that this was the sour part of the topic that was his daughter, instantly her mind went to her walking out on them as soon as Izzy was born, she felt an anger start to boil from deep down inside her, she hated this woman now, she didn't even know her but she hated her for hurting Tony, leaving him to raise a little girl all by himself, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, sliding her hands under the bar and onto her knees as she claimed the building rage for a woman she never met.

"She...died, giving birth to Izzy" Tony replied so softly Kate strained to hear it.

"Oh...Tony, I'm sorry I didn't know" she breathed embarrassed, now she really did feel bad.

"Of course you didn't, that's why you asked the question" Tony chuckled as he added the final touches to the source and the pasta.

After mentally slapping herself for the stupid question, which had obviously caused Tony some pain, she slid off the stool and walked up behind him.

"Are you sure there's nothing I can do?" she asked, as she pushed herself up onto tip toes to look over his shoulder at the meal he was preparing.

Tony turned suddenly with a smile, his sudden movement causing Kate to fall back, she reached out as she fell, desperately trying to grab something but failing, she closed her eyes and waited, waited for the thump and the pain, but neither came, she felt strong arms wrap around her lower back and shoulders, she cracked her eyes open slightly and saw Tony stood over, his arms wrapped safely around her, his face was so close to hers, she could touch his lips, ever so gently with hers, she was sure that, that action alone would be enough for them to erupt into each other, god did she want that, she wanted to feel his lips on hers, her body pressed against his, she suddenly felt the blush creep up her cheeks and made the mistake of making eye contact with her hero.

"You Ok?" he asked in a whisper, his warm breath brushing over her lips as he spoke.

Kiss him! Her heart cried from within her, and for once, her brain seconded the order.

"Tony" she breathed as her eyes drifted shut and her head inched closer to his.

Tony knew what was going to happen and right then, he wanted nothing more for it to happen, he allowed his eyes to drift closed and his lips to move closer to hers.

"Yeah Kate" he whispered as their noses gently brushed against each other.

"I think...I'm In lov-" she never finished that sentence as a beautiful angelic voice snapped them apart.

"Daddy is Dinner nearly ready?" Izzy asked running into the kitchen.

Tony opened his eyes and looked up at his daughter, he felt his cheeks burn with a crimson blush, he lifted Kate back to her feet and turned back to the stove.

"Yeah sweetie, just going to serve up now" he stated softly, nervously, embarrassed.

Kate looked from Tony to Isabel and back, she forced herself to smile at the little girl and slid her hands back into her pockets.

"Shall I lay the table?" she asked trying to keep her tone light, friendly, the exact opposite a person caught about to make out with her partner, her friend, a parent, but failing miserably.

"No need" Tony smiled uncomfortably at her "we eat in front of the TV" he stated with a nod towards the massive fifty one inch flat screen mounted on the wall.

"oh DiNozzo," Kate sighed as she rolled her eyes "Why have a dining table if you're not going to use it?" she asked with a slight chuckle as she walked back to Isabel.

"We do..." Isabel stated softly "at Christmas and when Uncle Gibbs comes round" she explained with a happy smile.

Kate placed a hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow at Isabel's father, Tony simply smiled and shrugged before starting to serve up.

The three ate as they watched the little mermaid, Izzy quoting some of the film before the character said it, making Kate smile at her, if there was any doubt this little girl was none other than Antony DiNozzos, there wasn't now.

After they ate, tony cleared the plates and placed them in the sink, before returning to the sofa, he sat on the end and was Soon joined by his daughter, who instantly jumped up and cuddled into his side, smiling Tony slid his arm around his daughters shoulders to hold protectively and proudly, he looked across the three seater at Kate and found her smiling at him.

By the time the Movie finished Isabel was fast asleep against her dads side, Kate watched in awe as Tony gently lifted her up into his arms, and carried her down to her room, she moved silently behind him and paused in the threshold of the door, watching the man that sat opposite her at work, the child, the sexist pig, expertly pulled back the covers and gently lay his sleeping daughter down, she watched him pull up the covers and tuck her in, he gently moved a stray strand of her hazel hair behind her ear and then placed a soft, proud, loving kiss to her forehead.

"Night sweetie, I love you" he whispered to her as he stood up.

Tony turned and smiled at Kate as he moved towards her, he reached out and clicked off the small lamp that stand on the set of pine draws beside the door, Kate took a couple of steps back and allowed him out into the hall again, she watched him turn and smile at his sleeping daughter before pulling her bedroom door slightly.

"Your an amazing dad" Kate whispered as she and Tony walked back down the hall towards the large living space.

"That's all I care about" Tony smiled "I don't care if I'm a good NCIS agent, or a good man, the only thing that I care about...the only thing I want to be good at is being a dad for Izzy" he smiled as he lead Kate back into the kitchen.

"Well, I don't think you need to worry about that, you're the best dad I've seen" Kate smiled softly as she sat at the bar again.

"Shocking right," Tony sighed as he started loading up the dishwasher "Tony DiNozzo, flirt, womanizer, immature sexist pig, a dad to a little girl" he finished with a defeated sigh.

"No, not at all" Kate stated sliding off the stool and moving towards the man that stole her heart...again, that night "Tony, we all know that who are at the office isn't who you really are" she whispered softly "we just...we wait, for you to show us who you really are, I mean honestly, if you were that guy, do you think McGee would still look up to you?" she stated softly "and I can tell that Gibbs is damn proud of you" she smiled.

"And you?" Tony asked as he stood up, closing the dishwasher as he did.

"Me," Kate sighed, it was now or never, she had to tell him, after everything she'd seen tonight, there was no doubt that this, was the man she wanted to be with for the rest of her life "Tony, I am, So, proud of you, the man you are, the parent you are, everything" she stated softly as she moved closer to him "and in all honesty," she whispered as they came toe to toe, their eyes locking as she lifted her head so she was inches away from his lips again "I've fallen completely and utterly in Love with you" she whispered as she lifted herself onto tip toes and pressed her lips gently against his.

Her heart sang as she felt him return the kiss, but then, he stopped, she felt him take a step back and she fell back onto her feet.

"I can't" he whispered softly as he eyes searched for something to lock on to other than her.

"Why?" she breathed, she could feel her heart start to twist again as it started the endless fall.

"I'm sorry Kate" he whispered as he walked around her and back into the living room.

Kate closed her eyes as the, all to familiar stab of tears started, she took a deep breath just as she felt and heard the first splinter of her heart, a silent tear escaped her closed eye and trickled down her cheek, she sniffed back the rest of the tears and wiped the falling one away.

Tony stood in the living room, watching the door to the kitchen, god he hated himself right now, the one person he always thought would never want to be with him just confessed that she was in love with him, and then...he destroyed the opportunity to be with her, why? Because of the damn guilt he'd been carrying for the last five years of his life, the guilt he was told would wash away eventually.

Kate walked out and saw Tony stood silently in the centre of the room, neither said anything as Kate walked to collect her coat and bag; they simply walked in a uncomfortable silence to the door, where Tony opened it for her and stood aside, he wanted so badly to tell her why they couldn't be, but had a feeling that should he, she'd freak out and not understand.

"I'm sorry" he whispered as she marched past him and into the long lamp lit cream hall.

When it was clear she wasn't going to say anything he called her name, he didn't want to end tonight like this, not with her, any other woman he wouldn't care, but this wasn't any woman, this was Kate, his partner, his team mate and honestly, his best friend.

"Kate" he called from just outside his apartment door.

"Its fine Tony, I'll see you tomorrow" she called back over her shoulder, a small sob escaping at the end.

"I love you too" Tony whispered defeated as he watched her vanish into the gold decorated elevator.

Why did life have to be so damn hard, he walked back into his apartment and closed the door, slumping back against it and suddenly feeling more drained than he did just before going to pick up his daughter, he ran a tired, numb hand through his hair and sighed.

"Jen," he whispered to the ceiling as he clasped his hands together "If you are up there, please...Please, just...give me a sign that I can move on, I can...be with Kate and not feel bad" he prayed desperately.

With another sigh escaping his lips, he dropped his hands and walked back down the hall, turned off all the lamps and the TV, then headed for bed, tomorrow was a mere nine hours away, and frankly, right now, that was far too close for him.

Dropping back into his king sized bed, Tony laid, wide awake staring at the same part of his ceiling, he couldn't deny that the short, soft, amazing kiss with Kate was earth moving, it was like it was the fourth of July, Christmas, New Years and his birthday all at once, yet the only thing that stood in his way...was him, and that he'd start to tackle tomorrow.

He gave a soft, tired sigh and rolled onto his side, realising just how big and lonely his bed was, he was just about to close his eyes when he heard the soft shuffle of feet on the carpet, he propped himself up onto his shoulder and looked over to the door to see his little girl shuffle towards him, right fist, rubbing her sleepy eyes as her left hand held her teddy.

"Hey sweetie, what's wrong?" he whispered swinging his legs out of the bed and sitting up.

"I had a bad dream" the little angel replied tiredly as she came to a stop before him.

"come here you" he whispered leaning forwards and scooping her up into his arms.

He stood up and lay his daughter down on the empty side of the bed, before returning to his side.

"You sleep with me tonight, I'll protect you from bad dreams" he whispered softly as his daughter cuddled into his side.

"Promise?" she asked tiredly.

"Promise" Tony confirmed as he placed a soft kiss to the top of her head "sweet dreams Isabel, I love you" he whispered softly as he slid a protective arm around her.

"Night Daddy, I love you too" Isabel breathed as her eyes drifted shut and she fell into a peaceful slumber.

**A/N:** **Ok, so there you have it, what ya think? Mean right? I called Chris mean for doing that so I have you covered there lol.**

**So will they get together? Will Tony be able to get over the guilt of Izzy's mother's death? Will they become a happy family or will someone from their past come back to ruin it by taking either Tony or Kate's life? Find out next time on....well, this site...just, when I update ;)**

**Let me know what your thoughts, Big thanks for reading, Love you all.**


	3. The Talk

**The True Man Across the Bull Pen:**

**Chapter Three:**

**The Talk.**

**A/N:** **Ok, so to start, THANK YOU! To all that commented and read the last chapter, it's really touching to know your enjoying the story.**

**OK, a short chapter, this is just the start of the following day, the idea for it came from a "Talk" Chris (my boyfriend) and I had last night, he couldn't get to sleep because of pain and so I stayed up with him and we spoke about our previous relationships, the advice Gibbs gives Tony in this Chapter was what Chris said to me last night, and honestly I just knew I had to put it in the story.**

**I really hope you guys like it, as I said, it's only the start of the day, the next chapter will be longer and will fill in the rest of the day.**

**Please do comment, we both love reading your thoughts and honestly it gives me this warm fuzzy feeling inside ;) lol.**

**We own nothing, but boy if we did...not only would we be seeing a lot more TATE on our fav show, but I have a feeling Chris would leave me and try to pick up Sasha lol.**

As the early morning sun crept over the horizon, pushing the dark shadows of night back, Tony lay awake, he hadn't gotton much sleep last night, the event with Kate was enough to keep his mind engaged most of those nine hours, he'd fallen asleep a few time, but had fallen into a dreamless state, where all he saw, all he relived were the two major events in his life, the birth of his daughter, which was also the death of her mother, and last night's kiss with Kate, both vivid flashbacks, if you could call them that were enough to make him jerk awake in a cold sweat.

Now as the suns golden rays, full of promise of warmth, flooded through the small cracks in the shutters onto the bedroom floor, he turned his tired, clouded head to the left to watch the clock, rather than wait for the alarm, which would no doubt wake his peacefully sleeping daughter, he reached out with a heavy numb arm and click the device off.

Exhaling all the air in his lungs and rubbing his face with both hands, he sat up, careful not to disturb his little girl until he absolutely had to, he rose from the bed and stumbled towards the en suit to grab a quick shower, a shower he hoped would not only wake him up, but also help clear some of the thick grey fog that clouded his mind.

As he stepped under the stream of pleasantly warm water, he made a decision, he had to sort out this guilt, the baggage he had been carrying since his daughter's birth, it was after all the only thing that had been stopping him from finding a woman that could not only fill the hole left in his heart, but also the position of mother for Isabel, and his heart knew exactly what woman he wanted for both, he just hoped he wasn't too late, hoped he hadn't messed it up.

With a refreshed sigh he stepped out of the shower, wrapped a towel around his body and moved silently through into his walk in wardrobe, where he selected a black suit and tie for the day ahead, he quickly got changed and softly placed a morning kiss on his daughter's forehead, before moving through into the kitchen to start breakfast, on his way he scooped up his phone and dialled Izzy's step fathers number, he placed the electronic device to his ear and listened as it rang, noticing the time and releasing it had been ringing for the last five minutes, he knew exactly why he wasn't picking up.

With a small chuckle Tony hung up and dialled the office number, this time the phone hadn't rang twice before it was picked up.

"Yeah Gibbs" came the gruff voice from the end of the phone.

"Hey, Boss it's me" Tony started confidently, but quickly lost that confidence before the end.

Was he really doing this? Was he really going to talk to Gibbs about his problems and about Kate? This...was...CRAZY!

"Yeah, I can see that DiNozzo" Gibbs stated in his normal, stop wasting my time and get to it tone.

"Boss...I...I need to speak to someone" Tony admitted softly as he cracked two eggs and started to whisk them.

"Is everything alright Tony?" Gibbs asked, dropping his commanding gruff tone for one of concern and care.

Tony thought about the question as he added milk to the whisked eggs, no one had ever asked him if everything was alright...no one seemed to think to ask, even when Jennifer, Isabel's mom died, no one asked him if he was alright, if he needed anything, Gibbs had placed a father hand on his shoulder, a silent promise that he'd always be there for him should he ever need him, but to actually ask it...it knocked him off balance.

"Tony?" Gibbs whispered softly down the phone worried.

"No, Gibbs, It's not" he confessed in a weak breath.

He heard Gibbs sigh softly and shift the phone from one ear to the other.

"Stay there, I'll be right over" the older man stated with his commanding tone back, Obviously someone had just walked into the office and he didn't want them to know that his senior field agent was hurting.

"Thanks boss" Tony whispered before hanging up and putting his full attention on the Eggs.

Within twenty minutes Gibbs was knocking on his senior field agents door, he waited patiently outside, the knocked again, when no one answered he drew his gun and placed his ear to the door.

"Tony!" he called through the surface, while straining to hear if there was any response, a muffled voice, shuffled footsteps on the floor, a scream anything...but he heard nothing.

"Yeah Boss?" Tony asked from behind the grey haired ex-marine, making him jump slightly.

"What the Hell are you doing DiNozzo?" Gibbs stated annoyed, he was more annoyed that Tony had managed to get the drop on him and made him jump slightly "I thought I told you to stay here" he repeated as he delivered a head slap to the younger man, it was more of a "don't make me worry about you again" head slap, rather than the "Stop being stupid" one's he gave him at work.

"I had to take Izzy to school" Tony defended as he slid his key into the lock and turned, while rubbing the back of his head.

He pushed the door open and gestured for his boss to entre, which he did as he slid his SIG back into his hip holster, Tony followed and closed the door behind him, he walked down the hall and into his large living room, where Gibbs was stood at one of the three wall high windows looking out and down at the street ten stories below.

"Coffee?" Tony asked as he walked through into the large, light kitchen dinner.

"Yeah, thanks" Gibbs replied turning and following him through.

Both men stood in silence as Tony made the hot refreshments, he kept a small bag of Gibbs preferred blend of coffee in his cupboard for when he did visit Isabel, which was nearly every weekend, neither of them knowing exactly what to stay to start the conversation as to why Tony needed to talk to someone, Finally as the kettle boiled, Tony broke the growing, uncomfortable silence.

"Boss, You remember that...Jen...when Izzy was born, she didn't..." he struggled with this, he hated feeling so weak that he couldn't come to say that the woman he had loved all those years ago had died, that she was gone and wasn't going to come back, that he would never see her again.

"Yeah...I know Tony" Gibbs interrupted so he wouldn't have to say it.

"How'd you do it Boss?" he asked softly turning and handing the man he saw as a father his cup of coffee.

"How'd I do what?" Gibbs asked as they made their way through to the living room.

"How'd you move on? Get rid of the guilt...when Shannon...How'd you do it?" Tony asked softly, he knew that Shannon and Kelly were just as sore a subject for Gibbs as Jennifer was for him.

Both men sat on opposite Chairs and took sips of their coffee's at the same time, to anyone looking in, it would seem like a well rehearsed act, the way both men were in sync with one another, but honestly, it was just from years of working together, and being around one another.

"You don't" Gibbs whispered softly as he lowered his cup "In time it gets easier to hide, to mask and burry, but you never truly...get over it" he explained softly as he lifted his eyes to watch the man he loved as a son opposite him.

"But you re-married" Tony stated slightly confused and disappointed by the answer.

"Yeah, and each time...I fell in love, but the, devoice had nothing to do with Shannon and Kelly, it was just...the end of the relationship" Gibbs explained raising the coffee cup to his lips again.

Tony gave a sight nod and mimicked his boss's actions, y lifting his own coffee cup to his lips and took a sip.

"So...I shouldn't feel guilty that I've...I've fallen in love again?" he asked softly, embarrassed.

Gibbs gave a small proud smile and shook his head.

"No, the only thing you need to worry about, is weather Izzy like's the woman you've fallen for" Gibbs smiled softly.

Tony gave a nod, he sighed inwardly, thankful Gibbs hadn't asked who she was.

"So who is she?" the older man asked with a small grin.

Damn it! Spoke to soon, he mentally slapped himself, how the hell was he going to answer this? He couldn't lie, Gibbs would know, he could use one of Kate's aliases that she used when on Undercover Ops, but then he knew all of them too...which meant, there was only one thing he could do...and here it goes.

"Kate" he sighed as he dropped his head, waiting for the tongue lashing and verbal assault that he was sure would follow.

Gibbs simply snorted amused, he knew it was only a matter of time, honestly, that day on air force one, he had not only seen potential for a great NCIS agent in Kate, but also the eye candy she was, he knew there was no way in hell he stood a chance with her, but a man could dream, besides, there were plenty of women in the DC area that seemed to like Gibbs.

"Just...Make sure you keep it out of the office...or at least when I'm in the same room" He stated as he pushed himself up.

"You're not going to go off on how you have rules for these things?" Tony asked shocked and pleasantly surprised but the older man's response.

"Tony, I'd be worried if you and Kate didn't end up getting together" the grey haired man laughed as he walked back through to the kitchen and placed his cup in the sink, leaving the younger agent alone to smile happily "Take the rest of the morning off, sped it with Isabel and make sure she's alright with this" he stated walking back through to find Tony getting ready to head out to the office too.

"Err, you...sure Boss?" Tony asked slightly suspicious that this wasn't actually Gibbs, but some sort of shape shifter.

"DiNozzo," the older man warned with a glare.

Yeah, it was Gibbs.

"Thanks, Gibbs" Tony smiled gratefully "For everything" he added softly.

Gibbs walked to the door with Tony, just before leaving he turned and placed a fatherly hand on Tonys shoulder and looked him dead in the eyes.

"I'm always here Tony, anytime you need me" he stated softly, but sincerely.

Tony smiled and gave a soft nod.

"I know Boss, I appreciate that" he said softly.

Gibbs gave a nod and gave his shoulder a small squeeze before walking back down the cream hallway, he pressed the elevator button and waited for the doors to slide open.

"Oh, and DiNozzo" he called before stepping into the waiting golden box.

"Yeah Boss?" Tony replied, looking up at his boss from his door.

"If you Hurt Kate...I'll kill you" the old man called just as the doors slid shut and stole him from sight.

"Noted Boss" Tony breathed nervously to himself, before pulling the front door closed and locking it behind him.

Now, all he had to do was try and get Kate back, that couldn't be that hard...could it? I mean they were in love with each other right? How hard could it be to convince the woman that you love, but hurt that, that was just a mistake?...Yeah, he should get some flowers...a lot of flowers, and a CD, and a card and a movie and chocolates, no fat chocolates...and pray!

With a sigh, he headed for the elevators, this, was going to be along day.

**A/N: ****Ok, so there you have it, so many questions; will Tony manage to Convince Kate into giving him another chance? Will she reject him and be just as hard headed and stubborn we all know she can be? What will Isabel say on the whole situation? Will she call Kate Mommy? Find out....as soon as I'm done lol.**

**Please do leave us your thoughts, we do love hearing from you, and Thank You for taking the time to read this :) **


	4. Seeking Permission and Collide

**The True Man Across the Bull Pen:**

**Chapters Four and Five:**

**Seeking Permission**

**&**

**Collide.**

**A/N:****To Start with, we'd like to say a big THANK YOU and a bigger SORRY for taking so long in updating the story, thank you to all of you who took the time to review and reading this, we hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive us for the massive delay, but life has just been so hectic for the last few months that we hadn't really had much time to think of the story let alone actually write any or update it.**

**So we have decided to type up two chapter and update them instead of the normal one, we hope you like them, and please do leave us some feed back, we love reading them and they are really inspiring, and we promise to update sooner seeing as life has finally claimed down again.**

**Again, Thank you for taking the time to read this bit of fiction and for taking the time to leave us a review, and we are really sorry for taking so long to update, we hope you enjoy, and can forgive us :)**

**We still own nothing, but we can dream right? lol**

The day was clear, the sky cloudless, the sun shone, it's effects lost in the chill of the late winter season, the snow that had settled over night had frozen and cracked under foot as Tony walked towards his car, he had chosen to take Gibbs advice, he was going to make sure that the most important part of his life, the one and only part of his entire existence that he truly loved would be ok with him dating Kate.

Really the rest of the days activities depended on what Isabel said, how she reacted to his question, if she responded badly, then there was no question about what he would do, he was falling in love with Kate, But Izzy was what was THE most important thing to him, she WAS, his whole world, without her he wouldn't be able to get up in the morning, he wouldn't be able to face the world everyday, he wouldn't be able to go under cover, bond with someone, and then have to shoot them, and then walk out of work better than most people would be, she was his rock, his constant, if he was honest with himself, he probably needed her far more than she would ever need him.

He pulled his slightly frozen drivers door open again and slid inside what was, only a few minutes ago, a nice warm car, but thanks to the late winter weather, the interior of his car, was just as cold, if not more cold, than outside.

He slid his key into the ignition and the engine over, he sat with a reserved smile as he listened to the engine purr softly for a few minutes, this conversation with his daughter could go either really well…or…it would go horribly wrong, for the second time in his life, Anthony DiNozzo closed his eyes and prayed silently for the Gods to favour the good outcome, he then let out a long loud sigh, slipped his car into gear and started off towards his little girls school.

The drive to the educational building was shorter than he had hoped, he had thought he had enough time to think of exactly what he was going to say to her, how he was going to ask her permission to date his partner and friend, but so far, he'd only gotton as far as saying her name, and even that he hadn't decided on how he was going to do it.

He parked up outside the school, he turned his head and took in the large brick building, the sun reflecting off it's large windows, bird song sang from the scattered trees in the playground, the light coating of snow giving it a very picturesque quality, he sighed, knowing full well that he couldn't just pretend that he had, had the conversation and was skip right to the trying to win Kate over part, taking a deep breath he removed his key, then slid out of the car, walking slowly towards the school entrance, bird song and the snow crunching under foot filling his ears as he searched quickly for the words to say to his beautiful little girl, the sudden cold handle against his bare palm snapped him from his panicked searching, he pulled the door open, and slid inside the large, long red and white hallway.

With another long breath he started searching for his daughters classroom, he peered in each window as he slowly made his way down the corridor, each class was silent as they listened to their teacher, after checking nearly half of the classes he finally found his daughters class, he spotted her teacher first, the younger blond was stood at the head of the class, leaning back against her desk as she looked over a silent class, his eyes quickly flowed over the silent, hard working class of children, stopping on his little angel.

He chuckled to himself as he saw her hunched over her bit of A4 paper, crayon in her hand, her brow pulled together in pure concentration, her tongue sticking, ever so slightly from her left corner of her mouth as coloured a section of the picture in.

'_God, I wish you were here for this Jen, I wish you could see her, she's so beautiful' _he thought to himself, hoping some how that his wish would find its way to his daughters mother.

He lifted his right hand and gently tapped the window with the back of his right index finger, the younger blond teacher turned and smiled at him, Tony pushed the door softly open, and stuck his head round the gap.

"Could I borrow my daughter?" he asked in a whisper he was sure she wouldn't be able to hear, but she nodded happily in reply shocking him slightly.

He watched as she left her desk and made her way, silently, across the silently working class, she seemed to drift gracefully across the sea of concentrating children, stopping behind the little beauty that was hunched over her picture, she lowered herself next to her and whispered in her ear.

Tony watched as his daughters head snapped up with the largest smile he had ever seen, her eyes wide as she leapt from her chair and rushed through the rest of the class towards him, Tony lowered himself to one knee and opened his arms ready to scoop her up.

"Daddy!" Izzy sighed happily as she hugged her father tightly.

Tony smiled and hugged her back, placing a soft kiss to the top of her head as he did.

"I wont keep her long" he promised the smiling teacher.

"Take as long as you need Mr DiNozzo" she smiled softly.

Tony gave a grateful nod, then scooped up his little girl and walked back out of the class, he paused by the coat rack, helping his daughter on with her padded winter coat before walking hand in hand outside to the empty playground.

"Sweetie," Tony sighed nervously as they sat down together on the furthest bench in the playground "I need to talk to you about something" he stated softly, sliding an arm around her as she cuddled into his side.

"What is it daddy?" she asked softly, her teeth chattering slightly in the cold.

Tony frowned down at her, stood up, removed his long winters coat and wrapped it around her like a giant blanket before sitting back down beside her.

"Well, you remember Kate?" he asked softly as he watched a crow hop along the grass next to the school.

"You're friend?" Izzy stated happily

"Yeah, My friend" Tony confirmed with a slightly proud chuckle "Well…I was wondering…If it was alright with you…If Kate became more than just my friend" he stated softly, his voice giving away just how nervous he was.

Both sat in silence for a moment, Tony dropped his gaze to his silent daughter beside him, she had moved closer to him, hiding her face in his shirt, He watched her carefully, his arm tightening around her, making sure her body wasn't rocking with silent tears, his ears strained to see if he could catch the sound of muffled sobs, but he heard nothing, finally after what felt like an hour or so, Izzy looked up at her father, her brow pulled down in confusion.

"Like Your Girlfriend?" she asked softly.

Tony sighed and smiled at the same time.

"Yeah sweetie, Like my girlfriend, would that be Ok with you?" he asked gently while giving her a little proud squeeze.

He watched as his daughters confused frown faded into one of fear, he quickly slid off the bench and crotched before her, his hands resting gently on her knees.

"Sweetie, you know that this wont change anything don't you," he stated softly "I'll always love you, more than anything in this whole wide world, Your what's important to me, so if you don't want Kate to be My girlfriend, then that's Ok" he sighed softly, a nervous and slightly fearful smile on his face.

"promise?" Izzy asked sadly.

"Promise" Tony confirmed with a quick kiss to his daughters forehead.

"I don't mind" Izzy shrugged while dipping her head into her fathers coat.

"You sure sweetie?" Tony asked fearfully.

He knew his daughter well, he knew that she would say anything o make him happy, and he didn't want that, he wanted her to be happy, he wanted her to be happy with Kate as a potential mother like figure, but if she wasn't then he wouldn't date her, she was all that mattered to him.

"If your not Ok with it baby, just say so, I wont be angry, I just want to know what you feel about this" he stated softly, reassuringly.

"I'm scared" Izzy confessed from the cover of her fathers large winter coat.

"Of what baby?" he asked softly sitting back beside her again, his arm back around her, pulling her against his side again.

"that your going to love Kate more than me" Izzy confessed with a small sniff.

"That, will never happen Izzy," Tony stated quickly, softly, but firmly "You, little miss, are the love of my life, I will NEVER, love anyone, as much as I love you" he added with a reassuring smile.

Izzy looked up at her father, unshed tears shinning in her large beautiful eyes.

"Promise?" she asked softly, her voice wobbling on the edge of crying.

"Promise." Tony confirmed with a smile, which made his daughter giggle, that sound made Tony's heart swell and melt at the same time.

"Pinkie swear?" Izzy added suddenly lifting her small right hand from the blanket that was her fathers coat, her little finger extended.

"Pinkie swear." Tony chuckled as he slid his own little finger around hers, locking them. " I love you Isabel DiNozzo" he added softly.

"I love you too daddy" Izzy smiled before burying her face into his side again.

They spent a few more minutes outside, just talking, making plans for this years Christmas, and what Tony should get his daughters Uncle Gibbs for Christmas, Izzy of course shot off hundreds of ideas, most of which Tony would never of thought of.

After a few minutes sat outside, they made there way back inside, Tony carrying his daughter in his arms making sure his coat remained wrapped around her, keeping her warm the entire time, once inside he set her down, removed his coat and helped her out of hers, they then walked hand in hand back down the red and white hallway towards her class.

They paused outside the door, Tony glanced through the window and saw the class still sat silently, all drawing and colouring happily as the teacher gracefully drifted between the tables with a small smile.

He turned and dropped to one knee before his daughter with a smile.

"Alright Sweetie, I'll say bye here ok." He smiled softly at her.

"K daddy" Izzy smiled sadly.

Tony's heart ached at the sight of his little girls forced smile, he could empathise with her, he spent the most part of his day staring off into space, missing her, wondering if she was ok, what she was doing, and if she missed him, a question which was just now answered by the sadness in his little girls eyes, she missed him, just as much as he missed her.

"I love you, So much Isabel" He smiled as he hugged his beautiful little angel to him.

"I love you too daddy" Izzy stated as she closed her eyes tightly and held onto her father.

"I'll see you in a few hours Ok Sweetie" Her father sighed as he reluctantly released his daughter.

"K" Izzy sighed sadly.

Tony smiled proudly at his little bit of heaven, he felt a lump start to develop in the back of his throat as he wished, so much, that her mother could be here to see how much their daughter had grown up.

"I am SO, proud of you sweetie" he smiled softly.

"I'm proud of you too daddy" Izzy replied quickly, clearly not completely understanding the meaning of the word, but at the same time meaning her statement whole heartedly.

Tony chuckled softly, he quickly dipped his head and pressed a soft, proud kiss to his daughters forehead.

"I love you" he repeated happily.

"Love you too" Izzy smiled and quickly kissed her fathers cheek before he stood up again.

Tony turned, pushed open the door and allowed his daughter to enter, he waved thankfully at the teacher who turned to look at the pair, then allowed the door to fall closed, he stood, watching his daughter make her way to her seat, once she was seated, she turned and smiled sadly at him again, Tony did his best to reassure her with a Happy, loving smile, but could feel he wasn't pulling it off, he waved sadly and watched broken heartedly as his little girl, his baby, returned the sad wave.

Deciding that his heart couldn't take anymore of this long goodbye, he turned away from the door, and walked with a saddened stride back down the corridor and back out to his car.

He slid inside, and sighed heavily to himself, he allowed himself one last glance at the school, the turned the engine over, and headed into town, as hard as it was to think of anything but the sad look on his daughters face, he had to, he had to think of how he was going to apologise to Kate, he needed a way to say he was sorry for rejecting her, but also a way to show her just how much he actually cared about her, how much he was falling in love with her, how badly he wanted to wake each morning next to her, to tell she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen after she woke from her sleep, her hair ruffled and make up smudged from where she hadn't go it all off the night before, how he wanted to be the cause of that heart swelling smile he had seen a few times when she was on the phone to the dirt bag she had been dating, how he wanted her as his partner, friend, lover and one day…Izzy's mom.

He drove into town, parked up and started to walk through the street, his eyes drifted from store front to store front, after walking the length of the street twice, he decided on flowers, he knew Kate well…well, as well as she'd allowed him to know her, he had of course had the opportunity to look into her personal file, but had chosen to get to know her from her, not what people said about her, he wanted to get to know the REAL, Kate Todd.

He entered a small corner flower store, it was smaller inside than it looked, but the flowers in the store looked so much better than the main and more expensive flower store further down the street, he walked around the store, pausing to look at each type of flower and to read the names of each type, the entire he was under the watchful eyes of the store owner, a elderly woman, large, white hair, tied in a bun, half moon glasses balanced on the tip of her noise as she turned her head to follow him.

Finally after watching him walk around for five fully minutes, the elderly store owner, spoke up.

"Can I help you sir?" she asked, her voice tried to sound friendly, welcoming, but she couldn't hide the frustration that that accompanied it.

Tony spun on his heel and beamed his mega watt smile at her.

"Yes, thank you," He sighed as he sauntered over towards the counter "I need some flowers" he smiled as he leaned softly on the counter.

"Well lucky for you we happen to sell a couple of flowers" the elderly woman stated sarcastically while rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, lucky me" Tony laughed softly, politely "Well I need a bouquet that says how much this woman means to me" he stated softly.

"and what exactly, is it this woman means to you?" the elderly woman asked as she pushed herself off the counter and looked around her shop.

"Well…She's my best friend, my partner, the one woman I trust with my life, and the woman that I'm falling head over heels in love with" Tony explained softly, his gaze following hers as they scanned the stores masses of colourful and sweet smelling foliage.

"How much are un intending on spending on this…soul mate, Bouquet?" the woman asked as she shuffled her way around the counter and into the store.

"As much as it costs to get it right" he stated with a smile.

The elderly woman gave a soft slow nod, then went to work picking out different coloured flowers, placing them softly on the counter, before returning to collect another colourful collection, within a few moments the shop owner had assembled the largest, most beautiful, colourful and sweetest smelling Bouquet Tony had ever seen.

He gladly handed over the amount the owner charged for the beautiful bunch of flowers and smiled gratefully at the woman as he left, he walked with a slight urgency now, fearing that he would somehow ruin the flowers, or that they would just suddenly wither and die before his eyes, he slid them carefully onto the back seat of his car, then slid himself into the drivers seat, he started the car, and drove to work, where he'd have to try and express just how sorry he was for rejecting the one woman he had loved since Isabel's mother, and try to convince her, somehow, that he wants what she wants, just as much or even more so than she dose.

The unsettled churning of nerves in the pit of his stomach started when he turned into the Navy Yard and grew steadily as he neared the NCIS office block, after parking up, he stepped out and scanned the car park for her car, he spotted it parked next to the door, he sighed and looked up at the massive non-opening windows of his floor before turning, sliding the massive bouquet from the back seat, closing the door and heading in.

**Collide:**

The elevator ride up to his floor was peaceful, yet completely nerve racking, he had only been as scared as this once before, and that was when he found out that Jennifer hadn't survived giving birth to their daughter, that was such a strange night, joy at the knowledge that soon they would have a beautiful little girl, fear that Jen didn't make it and feeling lost, but then, happiness, as soon as the nurse placed baby Isabel in his arms, he knew, that everything would be alright, that they would be alright.

Tony closed his eyes and focused on that feeling, the feeling of holding his baby daughter for the first time and he smiled, the nerves were still there, but not as bad now, they were manageable.

The doors slid open with their chime, and he stepped out, walking slightly slower than normal as he turned and headed for their little boxed off area, his eyes drifted instantly to Kate's desk but found her missing, in fact all the desks were missing, he lay the large bouquet on her desk and turned to his, finding a small note scribbled in Gibbs less than graceful writing.

_Down in Abby's Lab._

Tony sighed, snatched a plane A4 sheet from the printer behind his desk and quickly wrote his own note that he placed with the large Bouquet on Kate's desk before heading for the elevator at the other end of the floor.

As soon as the doors slid open he noticed the silence, no music, no shouting, no gruff "Ya Think McGee?", nothing.

He walked silently but quickly through into the lab and found the team gathered in Abby's office, McGee sat at the computer typing quickly while Abby sat behind him, perching on the side of the desk as she massaged his shoulders, Kate stood with her back to him, her head titled back slightly as she examined the blown up imagine of a self inflicted Gunshot wound Abby was displaying in her office, Gibbs paced impatiently before the desk checking the clock ever few seconds, Tony had to hide the smile that pulled at the corners of his lips while he walked towards them.

The door slid open with it's hiss, all but McGee's head snapped up to look at him, Abby scowling instantly, he knew that Kate must have told her what had happened the night before, and of course Abby was going to side with her, Gibbs allowed a very small, brief smile and nod at the younger man before continuing to pace back and forth and Kate, well she looked relieved to see him, like she had been worried when he didn't arrive this morning with the rest of them, but then she turned back to the picture, folding her arms tightly across her chest.

Tony sighed to himself, she wasn't going to make this easy for him, and rightly so, he had pushed her away last night, when she finally dropped ever plate of armour and opened herself up to him, he hurt her, and he hated himself for that.

"What we got boss?" he asked moving slightly further into the small office, but keeping his distance at the same time.

"Dead marine, McGee found his cell at the scene and is trying to recover some video do dar on it" Gibbs stated while waving one of his hands at the tech member of the team.

"He videoed his killer?" Tony asked shocked.

"It looks that way" McGee spoke quickly, his voice thick with concentration, his eyes never leaving the computer screen in front of him.

"Well McRecovery, how's it going?" Tony grinned at the tech nerd.

"Better if you didn't talk to me" McGee stated quickly, snapping his eyes off the screen and onto Tony with a slight glare for a second before sapping them back, his fingers never stopping.

Tony chuckled, a chuckled that instantly died as soon as he caught Abby's constant threatening glare, a glare that told him if he wanted to remain male, he'd shut up, stand in the corner and behave, a silently suggestion that he did willing.

He slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he backed into the corner, his mind wondered onto what his little Isabel was doing right that instant, he was so lost in his thoughts of his daughter that he failed to notice Kate move to his side, so it made him jump when her voice drifted through and snapped him from his thoughts of his little girl.

"Where were you this morning?" she asked, trying to keep her voice neutral with a slight hint of annoyance, but she couldn't stop the worry from slipping out.

"I had to talk to Isabel about something" Tony replied softly, softly enough for only her to hear.

"Are you ashamed of her?" Kate asked suddenly, a hint of disgust in her tone.

"What? No" Tony answered shocked that she would ask such a thing.

"Well why don't you bring her in so everyone can meet her then? Why keep her a secret?" Kate asked turning to stare at him.

"Because…Because, they wouldn't understand, they'd all freak out and run" Tony sighed as he dropped his head "Everyone here knows this DiNozzo, this stupid, immature, sexist flirt, so if he was to suddenly show up with a daughter, a beautiful, smart, funny, amazing daughter, they wouldn't know what to do and it would scare them, and then…I'd only have Izzy" he stated softly "my biggest fear isn't vampires Kate, It's being alone, having no-one to turn to when I need help, no one being there to look after Izzy should anything happen to me" he confessed, his voice a whisper as he spoke, his eyes closed, as if he were ashamed of his confession.

Kate couldn't help herself now, she extended her right hand and gently rested it on his arm.

"You'll never be alone Tony," she said softly "you have Gibbs, Abby, Ducky, even McGee, and then of course you have me and Izzy as well" she smiled softly while gently rubbing his arm reassuringly.

Tony smiled a lazy crooked smile, his eyes opening and turning to hold Kate's, both could feel that last night had been cast to the past, but he could also tell she was more wary of her feelings for him, she wouldn't want to willing put herself in emotional harms way again.

"Thanks Kate" Tony smiled more fully this time as he turned to face her.

He took a breath deciding that he was going to be the one to risk it this time, he took her hand from his arm and held it in his, his thumb gently stroking the top of her hand as her fingers held his hand securely, almost afraid to let him go.

"Listen, Kate, I was wondering, if maybe, I could talk to you today…over lunch, if you don't have plans already?" he asked quickly, before the nerves got the best of him and he asked something else, something stupid, something the NCIS DiNozzo would say, not the dad, the man.

"Lunch is good" Kate nodded with a small smile, her eyes filling with hope, the hope Tony knew that shone from his own eyes.

"Got It!" McGee announced loudly over the small office, snapping Tony and Kate apart, making them both blush slightly as they turned to face the desk.

Gibbs moved quickly behind the youngest member of the team, he leaned over his shoulder and watched the cell video McGee had managed to recover from the phone, his brow pulling together as he viewed it, Abby made a loud intake of breath as she watched from the other side of McGee, Tony and Kate shared a confused look before turning back to face the rest of them.

"DiNozzo…" Gibbs started.

"Get the car, on it boss" Tony smiled as he headed out.

"Kate…"

"Gear up" She finished for the team leader as she too headed for the door.

"McGee…" Gibbs tried a third time as he followed his other two agents.

"Good work" Abby finished for him, making both McGee and Gibbs smile slightly "What would we do without you Timmy?" she sighed as she hugged him and placed a quick kiss to his cheek, making the youngest agent smile and blush furiously.

Tony sat silently in the back of the car, Gibbs drove as usual, but neither Kate nor Tony complained, Both just sat silently, smiling like idiots, Kate smiling out the window, Tony smiling at the back of Kate's Hair, Gibbs rolled his eyes and sighed to himself once he noticed this, but he couldn't hide the proud smile he felt towards the man he loved as a son.

The journey wasn't long, but then with Gibbs driving, they could head for LA and they'd get there within an hour, they pulled up outside a small cottage, all of them sliding out, all pulling there weapons free as they advanced on the house.

"DiNozzo…" Gibbs tried again.

"Round back, got it boss" Tony finished for him, making the older mans fatherly smile grow more as he watched Tony jog around the side of the house.

Tony took up his place on the right of the back door, his weapon drawn and ready, his free hand on the handle of the door, he turned gently to see if it was unlocked, he heard the soft click of the lock disengage and sighed to himself, at least he wouldn't have to waist energy he didn't really have to kick in a door.

He waited for his boss's go order, which came after three shot were fired at the front door from within, Tony quickly turned the handle and swept into the kitchen, his weapon out before him as he cleared each room, he heard Kate and Gibbs enter through the front, Gibbs kicking in the door, he swept the dinning room and met with the others in the living room, Where Gibbs pointed to the stairs, Kate was first to the bottom of them, her weapon pointing up to the top.

Tony was beside her in an instant, she gave him a soft nod and smile, clearing him to start heading up, that she had him covered, which was something he already knew, he did after all, trust her with the most important thing in his life, Izzy.

He started up the stairs slowly, trying to move as silently as he could, but the creaking stairs didn't really help him in his attempt at being stealthy.

He had made it just over half way when shot rained out from below him, flying through the floor boards under his feet, bullets ripped through both his legs, spraying crimson against the cream walls behind him, Tony screamed in shock rather than pain, his SIG was instantly pointed down, he emptied his entire magazine in less than a minute, then when the weapon finally click empty he fell back, crashing down the stairs his blood spattering each step as he fell, spraying up on the walls and banister as he went, he heard bones break as he landed painfully against each hardwood step, he felt his lips tear, his noise crack, his forehead smack against the floor, and then, finally he felt the pain from the multiple bullet wounds in his legs, the pain, along with the massive assault his head had taken on the fall down was to much and Tony blacked out, the last fading image he saw was Kate's face silent, fearful, tears running down her cheeks as she held his face in her palms, asking him, pleading with him to stay awake, to stay with her, but he couldn't, and soon his world went dark, his last thought was of his beautiful little girl, his Izzy.

**A/N: ****OK guys, there you have it, we hope you enjoyed reading it, and would like to thank you again for all the wonderful reviews, and really do hope you can find it in your heart to leave us some more, thanks again for reading and we'll update soon…promise : ) **


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